Ranger
by snapesgirl21
Summary: Re-released. An alternate version of the opening scene in Top Secret Twenty-One, where Morelli shows up and reveals more than Ranger and Stephanie expected. One-shot. Completed.


_This is based on the song Jolene by Dolly Parton. The set-up (Tank, Ranger and Stephanie in a restaurant) in this one-shot is a scene from the first chapter of Top Secret Twenty-One, which JE posted on her website, but it isn't really spoiling anything because nothing really happened. I've taken it and made it into something else. It is from Ranger's POV._

I really shouldn't have told Stephanie to wear the sexiest thing she owned tonight.

We had just arrived at _Philomena's_, an overpriced restaurant in Princeton, and Stephanie was making her way across the dining room and over to the bar. Her ass swung deliciously in a short, tight red dress that I'd never seen her wear before tonight. She had the small listening device tucked discreetly into her hand and with one swift movement stuck it to the back of a chair at the table where Emilio Gardi and his party would shortly be seated, according to the maitre'd. The entire party, with the exception of Gardi, were currently seated at the bar and Stephanie slid in right next to them. Grateful that we'd used comms that required activation in order transmit, I could tell from the look on Stephanie's face and the raucous laughter that carried over to the entrance where Tank and I stood that the conversation was less than stimulating. Stephanie ordered her drink, which turned out to be something black. Sambuca, most likely. I repressed a gag.

Tank was standing on the other side of the doorway and jerked his head to something behind me. I turned around to see Morelli and another man I recognized as Pete Barnes, a former Trenton PD detective who now worked with the state police, walking into the waiting area of the restaurant. Both wore dress pants, dinner jackets, and dress shirts open at the collar. Morelli nodded when he saw me and headed in my direction while Barnes stopped at check-in.

"You two finally making things official and going out on your first date?" he asked, nodding in Tank's direction.

"My date's shorter and uglier," I replied. "And not due to arrive for another ten minutes."

"I thought you were out of bond enforcement?"

"My cousin in Miami wrote a high bond on an enormous flight risk. Color everyone surprised when he didn't show up to court yesterday, but decided to keep his dinner date up here."

"Poor dumb bastard."

I wasn't sure if he was referring to my cousin or Gardi, because the sentiment could be applied to both. Barnes waved Morelli over and they walked together into the dining room and were seated at the table next to the one where Gardi would be sitting. I had a feeling that the two of them were running surveillance on Gardi's dinner companions.

"Morelli's here, but don't make yourself noticeable," I told Stephanie through the comm. "I don't want him drawing any more attention to you than you're already getting in that dress. They'd have to call in the National Guard to manage the riot."

I could see Stephanie reach up with her left hand and scratch her head with her middle finger. I heard Tank chuckle and I couldn't help but smile.

"What the hell's Ranger doing here?" I heard Barnes asked as they sat down and picked up their menus. The listening device on the chair was picking up their conversation.

"Picking up an FTA," Morelli replied. "I can't seem to spit without running into that good-looking, black-clad, Cuban motherfucker."

"Morelli thinks you're pretty," Hal said through the comm., I could see Stephanie's shoulders shaking with laughter at the bar.

"I'm glad I wore my best suit tonight."

"At least Stephanie isn't with him," Morelli continued once the waiter had taken their drink orders. "Well, at this point in the evening anyway."

"Do you think there's something going on between them?" Barnes asked. "I know the gossip—my wife feels the need to inform me of everyone's business—but I figured it was just rumor."

"Physical or emotional?"

"Either, I guess."

Morelli waited until the waiter had served their drinks and taken their orders before he spoke again.

"Physically, I'm not sure. I know they've slept together in the past, but I don't think anything is happening right now. Not since Hawaii."

"Hawaii?"

"Remember last year when I went out to Hawaii to surprise Stephanie on her last couple of days of vacation?"

"Yeah, I remember," Barnes replied, taking a long sip of his drink. "You came back the next day with two black eyes and a broken nose, and a tight lip on what had happened."

"I was too embarrassed to tell anyone that when I got to Hawaii I found Stephanie holed up in a five-star resort with Ranger. They were there as Mr. and Mrs. Manoso because it was for married couples only. I lost my shit and decked Ranger when he opened the door. We rolled around on the floor and gave each other the beatings that had been a couple of years coming until Stephanie stunned us both. We woke up in the emergency room and found out that Stephanie had changed her flight and headed home before we got out," Morelli finished, wincing at the memory.

Tank glanced in my direction and raised an eyebrow. I'd never told him what had happened in Hawaii, though I figured he'd have put two and two together once he had seen Morelli's face. I glanced in at Stephanie and saw that she too was wincing at the memory. The ten days prior to Morelli's arrival in Hawaii had been the best I'd ever had with Stephanie. She'd been relaxed, enjoying the resort's luxurious amenities and dragging me out on various trips in the name of 'uncover work'. Not that I'd admit it to anyone, but I'd enjoyed the time pretending to be married to Stephanie. Hearing people refer to her as Mrs. Manoso had given me more pleasure than I'd cared to acknowledge. And the sex—well, it had been phenomenal. The physical distance from Morelli had served to alleviate some of the guilt she'd felt whenever she'd slept with me in the past. We'd had sex multiple times each day and in as many locations as physically possible—from our private beach to the Jacuzzi to the desk in the sitting area and the king-sized bed. We'd been so wrapped up in other that I knew there had been two occasions where we'd forgotten condoms, which had resulted in a slightly anxious feeling for the next month or so until I was sure Stephanie wasn't going to come to my office to tell me that she was pregnant with my baby.

"Shit," Barnes said, looking stunned. "Did you guys ever talk about it?"

"Yeah. Stephanie told me later that she'd spotted the wife of one of Ranger's high-bond FTAs at the airport and called him so that he could arrest the man. They'd checked in together at the resort, claiming that they were working uncover, but I suspect the only thing working undercover was Ranger's dick."

There was no arguing that point. Morelli was dead right.

"Emotionally is a completely different story. They are both so in love with each other that it scares the hell out of me," he continued, staring intently at the centerpiece on the table.

Stephanie was watching Morelli from where she was sitting at the bar. I could see the strain in her face, wondering what he was about to say next. I knew she wasn't happy that Morelli was sharing our personal details with Barnes, and unknowingly, Tank and Hal. I wasn't exactly thrilled either, but I could brush it off. Something like this would weigh on Stephanie.

"Steph—keep focused," I told her into the comm. "Gardi should be here anytime."

I saw her nod slightly and turn back to her drink, which she downed and then ordered another.

"What scares you?" Barnes asked Morelli as their salads came to the table. "Are they obsessed with each other? Like Romeo and Juliet or Fatal Attraction?"

Morelli shook his head. "Not like that. I just know that there isn't anything that Ranger wouldn't do for Stephanie. He would lie, cheat, steal, kidnap, torture, kill, betray his country and possibly even his own grandmother for her, and I know he's done at least a few of those already. Whenever he's out of town, she doesn't sleep well. She also talks about him in her sleep. Sometimes she just says his name, other times she asks him why they can't be together. Occasionally she has a sex dream. I have to leave the room and go beat the shit out of the punching bag I keep in the basement during those. The others I've learned to ignore."

I could see Stephanie's cheeks turning nearly as red as her dress before she buried her face in her hands. I considered going into the dining room and beating the hell out of Morelli, but thought better about it. Gardi's bail had been set a two-and-a-half million dollars, and my cousin had agreed to give me twenty-percent of the take for getting him back down to Miami. Five hundred grand wasn't something I could give up just for the chance to beat Morelli's ass, not to mention the felony charge I'd undoubtedly receive for assaulting a police officer. Tank was shifting uncomfortably on the other side of the doorway. If it weren't essential that I maintain contact with both Tank and Hal, I'd have had them take out their ear pieces as soon as I'd known the direction the conversation was going.

"Why in the hell do you stick around, Morelli?" Barnes asked, looking astounded and slightly pissed off. "No woman is worth staying with when she's constantly being chased by maniacs, having her cars blown up, and in love with another man."

"Because I love her," Morelli replied. "Because I want to spend as much time with her as I can while I have the chance. I'm the sick son of a bitch who sticks around because she's the only one for me. Ranger won't commit to her right now, which is why I get to keep her. If one day he decides to give her even an iota of commitment, she'll leave me and never look back because he's the one for her; the fucking love of her life, man of her dreams, soul mate, whatever you want to call it. What's even worse is that I honestly don't think she realizes it. I don't think she realizes how much she really loves him or that she keeps me around just so she won't look so pathetic while she waits around for him to get his head out of his ass."

"Have you tried talking to Ranger about it? You might not live through the conversation, but at least you could go to your grave knowing you tried."

I saw Gardi and two bodyguards who were both the size of Hal come in through the bar's outside entrance. Gardi's dinner companions greeted him loudly. I activated my transmitter to get Stephanie back in the game.

"Stephanie, keep an eye on his men. I need to know when they—"

"Shut up," she replied, turning to look directly at me. "I want to hear Morelli."

"—in Hawaii," Morelli was telling Barnes as I worked on simultaneously focusing on the conversation while watching Gardi's movements at the bar. "I told him that I was sick of him being around and that I knew Stephanie would never cut him out of her life. I asked him, man-to-man, to leave her alone. He told me he wasn't going anywhere. He said I had as much blame in the matter because I wasn't willing to fully commit to her. He told me that if I didn't want him around, then I either needed to marry her or kill him."

Gardi was making his way to his table now with his group, his bodyguards sticking close to him. Were they going to hover over him while he ate dinner? Surely not, but I knew if they were that I'd need Hal to come in to help Tank while I managed Gardi.

"Well Morelli," Barnes said, watching as Gardi's group took their seats at the next table. "I think you're a fucking idiot for staying with her. I think you should move your ass on, but hey, what do I know. I've been married to the same woman for twenty-three years. And I've never once worried that she was in love with someone else. Especially a rich, good-looking, dangerous son of a bitch like Ranger."

I was relieved to see Gardi's men head out of the room once he'd been seated at the table.

"Stephanie—where are his men?"

"Headed outside," she muttered. I could see her slide off the bar stool and head towards the bar exit.

I motioned for Tank to follow me and we made our way through the restaurant to Gardi's table. I knew I'd need to talk to Stephanie later. Morelli's conversation had been truth mixed with speculation. Speculation that I suspected was accurate, given Stephanie's reaction. Had he been wrong, I figured she would have gotten up from the bar and confronted him on it. But the slightly-embarrassed and panicked expressions on her face had told me otherwise. And he'd been right about me. There wasn't much I wouldn't do to keep her safe. Barnes and Morelli had watched with mild interest as I confronted Gardi and handcuffed him. Once Tank had a hold of Gardi, I reached over and removed the listening device from his companion's chair. I saw Morelli give the device a glance.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked.

"Yes. And you were wrong. Until two minutes ago, Stephanie was here. She was sitting at the bar listening to you," I told him before I headed across the room and towards the door Stephanie had gone through.

She had made it to the other side of the intersection from the restaurant and was headed towards the bus station, which was only a block away. I jogged across the street and caught up to her just as she was reaching the bus station.

"Stephanie—," I began, catching her by the arm, but she jerked out of my grip.

"Leave me alone," she said.

"No."

Stephanie spun around to face me and I could see the tear tracks on her cheeks. "Why? Why do you care? You just string me along for the opportunity to get in my pants. You don't love me. Not really. Morelli was at least wrong about that and one other point: there are plenty of things you won't do for me. I sit around pretending to be in a relationship with Morelli while I'm waiting on you to change your mind about commitment when you've told me several times it won't happen."

"Morelli was speculating," I replied.

"AND HE WAS RIGHT!" Stephanie yelled, causing several people to glance our way. "He was right that I'm just waiting around for you. Hearing him say those things out loud made me realize that he was completely right. Those are things that I haven't been able to admit to myself until now. And hearing the words out loud sounded even more pathetic than I already felt. He's comfortable and helps distract me from how I really feel about you when I can't have you. You confuse the hell out of me. You put your life on the line to save me, you spend money on cars and protection details, but you can't give me the one thing that I really want. The one thing that doesn't put your safety at risk or waste your money. But I can't keep doing this anymore. It isn't fair to anyone, Morelli most of all. So I'm going to break up with him so he can try to move on with his life, but I also want you out of mine. I don't want to see you again. I'm done."

She turned to leave but I grabbed her arm. "That's it? I don't get to say anything in response?"

"What is there to say, Ranger?"

"First of all, don't ever tell me that I don't love you and that I'm just stringing you along for occasional sex. You just said yourself that I put my life and my money on the line when it comes to you. Because Morelli was right when he said that I will do anything for you. Because I value your life above my own," I told her. I could feel something bubbling up inside me. My instinct was to quash it, but I fought against that. She needed to see this side of me. She needed to know how I really felt.

"Secondly, it is not my fault that you've decided to stay in a relationship with Morelli. That was your decision," I continued. "You're the one who chose to stay with someone that you knew you weren't entirely committed to for the components of a relationship that I wasn't ready to give you. Have you ever stopped to consider that part of the reason I've held back is because of that relationship? I made it clear to you once that if we were together, I wouldn't accept you being with anyone else. Why would I ask you for a committed relationship when you're in another man's bed most nights? And lastly, you have never once told me that you loved me. I've told you several times, even if I did try to minimize it somehow, but you haven't, nor have you ever tried to force my hand when it comes to having a relationship. You've seemed content with what we've had, even if you've decided to stop having sex with me."

"Are you really trying to tell me that you didn't know that I was in love with you simply because I've never said the words?" Stephanie asked incredulously.

"I've suspected, but without hearing the words I didn't want to assume that you did. I wasn't completely sure it wasn't the sex and chemistry between us that kept you attracted to me or if you genuinely loved me. I know you seem to think that I'm some machine, but I'm not. I have feelings: I have a heart that, like yours, I've been trying to protect by keeping distanced from you. I'm not saying that I don't have fault in this; we all do."

We stood there and looked at each other for a minute while she processed everything I had just said. The last woman who had been able to get to my heart had subsequently broken it when I'd told I was joining the Army and she'd responded by saying that rich girls didn't date soldiers and left me without a look back, not knowing that I'd been prepared to ask her to marry me. And looking back, I realized that what I had felt for her was nothing compared to what I felt for Stephanie.

"Why haven't you ever said these things before?" she asked quietly.

"Why haven't you?"

When she didn't immediately respond, I shifted the focus of conversation. "Let's go. I don't want to keep talking about this here."

She nodded and silently walked with me back to the car. Neither of us spoke the entire trip back to Trenton, both lost in our own thoughts. I wasn't sure where this situation with Stephanie was going, but I was certain that things weren't going to be able to stay the same. She was either going to demand commitment from me or tell me that she never wanted to see me again. The idea of the latter sent a jolt through me, but the idea of the former made me feel slightly nauseous. It wasn't that I couldn't commit myself to one person or that committing to Stephanie would be difficult. It was the emotional freedom I gave up by giving myself to her. It would take away some of the control I had over my life because suddenly there would be another person expecting to know what was going on with me. Someone who not only had the right to know where I was and what I was doing, but had the right to ask me not to do something. If we were committed to each other, she'd expect to know more about my past, and I knew there were things I was too ashamed about to tell her. But could I walk away from her? I'd always known that Morelli wasn't going to fully commit to her. He didn't have it in him, especially while I was still in the picture. I guess I'd always counted on that. I could have my cake and occasionally eat it too while she felt better about herself by being in a semi-committed relationship with him. It had taken some of the pressure off of all of us. I'd never actually worried about having to walk away from her because I'd never expected anything to come into play that would require it. But now I was faced with that potential and it scared me. Did it scare me more than the idea of commitment? I wasn't sure. I could see myself living with Stephanie, having her in my bed every night, but could I see introducing her to my family? They would adore her, I knew that without question. But what about marriage? Children? I knew the idea of either terrified Stephanie right now, but I'd seen too many people who had sworn off marriage have a change of heart after falling in love and being in a relationship for a while. I could see it happening to her, but I wasn't sure I had it in me. Marriage I imagined I could swing, but having children wasn't. I loved my daughter, but I'd let another man take on the legal and emotional responsibilities of her because I didn't think I could be the kind of father she needed. What if Stephanie wanted children? Could I do it? Would I hurt Julie if I did? All of the questions and feelings coursing through me had been exactly why I'd kept women at bay. I'd taken them to bed when the need had been too great, but they'd been one-night stands. I'd occasionally see a woman for a while, though we'd both gone into the arrangement knowing that we weren't going to have anything more than great sex for a few months until one or both of us had had enough.

I pulled into Stephanie's lot a half hour later and turned off the car. We climbed out and I followed her up to her apartment. It wasn't until we were safely ensconced in her living room that any conversation resumed.

"You never answered my question," she said. She had thrown her purse onto the sofa, but had remained standing in her living room. "Why haven't you ever said anything of this stuff to me before now? You've never really acted like my relationship with Morelli bothered you."

"Would it have changed anything? If I still weren't ready for a committed relationship, but told you that I hated the idea of you with him, would you have broken up with him?"

"You were the one who pushed me back to him!" Stephanie cried. "After that first night we slept together, you told me to fix my relationship with him."

"But you didn't have to go back," I replied. "And now you aren't answering my question."

She looked ready to continue the argument, but stopped herself. "I don't know. I just know I wanted you to fight for me and you never did."

"Back at you, babe."

The look of shock on Stephanie's face matched the shock I felt inside at my own words. Had I really meant them? Yes, I had. I had not only wanted to hear Stephanie say the words _I love you_, but I'd wanted her to fight for me. I'd wanted her to fight with my stubbornness and my demons to get through to me. To claim me for herself.

"So is this it?" she asked. "Is this over between us?"

"You tell me."

Stephanie looked speechless and overwhelmed, unable to form any words. I needed to hear the words. It was stupid, I knew that, but I needed them. After a minute that felt like an eternity, I turned around and walked out of her apartment. I couldn't take it any longer. Maybe I could come back and talk to her in a couple of days, once she'd had time to process everything, but I was shutting down for the moment. Why couldn't she say the words 'I love you'? Was it me, or was it her? Had she even been able to say the words to Morelli, or did he just read between the lines the way she had expected me to do? I took the stairs down to the first floor and headed out to my car. Maybe it would be better for her if I left town, went to work at one of my other offices. I had just unlocked my car and was reaching for the handle when I heard her call my name. I turned to see her running out of the apartment building, barefoot but still wearing the slinky red dress. She was breathing heavily, which told me she had probably taken the stairs in lieu of the elevator to save time.

"I love you," she said, panting slightly. "I love you and I want you. I want you to get your head out of your ass, put your demons and bullshit excuses aside, and tell me that you want me. If I need to kick your ass, I'll do it or die trying. But I'm not going to let you walk out of here like this because I'm afraid if you do, I'll never see you again. And I can't live with that."

I'd stood there stunned, listening to her words. They'd been spoken with conviction and a fire burning in her eyes. She was so damn beautiful when she was determined. I knew without a doubt that she meant what she was saying. There was no question in her tone or her words that this was what she wanted. And I knew that it had been what I needed to hear. It wouldn't have convinced me four years ago, maybe not even a year ago, but it did now. I pulled her into me, pinned her against the car with my body, and kissed her deeply. We broke apart a minute later when the sound of a text message coming through on my phone interrupted us. I watched her for a few seconds before I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.

"It's from Morelli," I said, opening the message. I immediately looked around and didn't see him or his SUV anywhere, but I knew he'd been there. He'd seen what had just happened. He had heard her words.

"What does it say?" she asked. I showed her the phone and her eyes widened slightly.

"He knows?"

"He knows," I agreed, putting my phone back in my pocket. "Let's go upstairs."

Stephanie smiled slightly and kissed me lightly before she took my hand and led me back to up to her apartment once more.

**Morelli's POV**

I had been surprised to reach Stephanie's apartment before her. I'd gone inside but found it empty, so I'd turned around and left. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I knew it would be something big. I had just pulled out of her lot and headed down the road when I saw Ranger's Turbo pull into her lot in my rearview mirror. I'd gone around the block and parked on the street, slightly hidden behind a bus stop. The car was empty and I could see a light on her window. I sat there for a few minutes, wondering how long he was planning to stay. I needed to talk to Stephanie, to know what she was going to do. I had known she was at_ Philomena's_ the minute I pulled into the lot and saw Ranger's Turbo parked next to one of the Rangeman SUVs. I'd known he was connected to her when I'd seen the ear buds in his and Tank's ears. I'd spotted her sitting at the bar in a sexy red dress as I'd made my way to my seat. And I noticed the listening device on the back of the chair when Barnes and I had sat down. Barnes asking about Ranger's presence had opened a door for me. I knew Ranger, Tank, Stephanie and whoever was in the car would be listening, so I had taken advantage of the opportunity to make my feelings known. I'd needed Ranger to know that I didn't want him to take Stephanie, even though he could with a simple utterance of 'Babe'. I'd wanted him to know that she was the one for me, that I was willing to put up with his presence in her life just so that I could be with her. It was pathetic, sure, but it was what it was. And I'd wanted her to know how much it hurt me to see her long for him, but that I was willing to stand by her anyway for as long as I could have her.

Ranger came out of the building about five minutes after I'd parked. The expression on his face was one of a man who was on emotional lockdown, which gave me a slight jolt of hope. Had she told him to take a hike because she wanted to be with me? He had just reached his car when I heard Stephanie call out for him. I was close enough to hear her tell him that she loved him and wanted to be with him. She called him out on his shit excuses and admitted that she couldn't bear to lose him, something I'd known about her for nearly four years. His response had been to kiss her in a way that left no doubt of what he wanted. My heart had leapt into my throat as I watched them, but I also felt a strange sense of relief. Grabbing my phone, I typed out a text message, but put my car into drive and pulled away from the curb before I hit send.

_**Take care of her.**_


End file.
